The Vendetta Lives On
by King Hawke
Summary: V in V for Vendetta raises Naruto, courtesy of his new master.
1. Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: I don't own V for Vendetta or Naruto

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Panicked shouts echo through the abandoned subway station in England. The sound of gunfire is replaced by the loud noises of flesh being torn asunder. "Why won't you die?" screams a man as he fires off the last of his bullets.

A masked man staggers towards him. "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy. And ideas are bulletproof," he mutters darkly. He grabs the man by the throat and lifts him off the ground. The man gasps for air briefly before a loud crack reverberates through the tunnel.

A lovely young woman with her hair shaved off hurries into the scene of the assassinations. "V!" she shouts, running to the masked man's side. He pulls out the sheet of metal that he had strapped under his cloak. They manage to get to the subway car. V says his last words and leaves the events of that night in the hands of his pupil. He closes his eyes for the last time.

Several seconds later, the subway is sent speeding down the tunnel. The viewers surrounding the parliament building watch in awe when the subway car detonates, setting the grand building into a blaze of fiery destruction.

'V can finally rest in peace,' thinks the pupil.

Somewhere, a woman's voice laughs. "_Oh, I don't think so, young woman_," she giggles. "_V's work is not done until I say it is done_."

Said patriot appears opposite of her dark throne. She gazes impassively at the masked form of one of her greatest champions. "Where am I?" inquires V, turning in a slow circle. "And why do you hide in the darkness?"

"_Ah, my dear V, so full of questions. I will show you why I hide in the shadows_," she answers happily. She steps into the dim spotlight that seems to be shining down on the man. A long crimson dress hugs her body, accentuating every curve. "_Like what you see?_" she murmurs seductively. Her long black hair cascades down her body like a waterfall of desire.

V smiles slightly under his mask, "Madam, should the brilliance of your beauty ever to be mine, I would need to have the reason for my mask removed."

"_Of course_," she says pleasantly, sliding his mask off easily. He moves to cover his face when he feels the smooth skin of his face instead of the mutilated mess it was before.

He whispers, "How?" The light shines on the woman's necklace. A single word is engraved on the jewelry: **Anarchy**.

"_I am the goddess of Anarchy_," the woman explains with a sensual smile. "_I am also known as Madam Chaos_."

V bows slightly, "I am honored, Madam, but why am I here? Have I not caused enough anarchy in my time against the corrupt government of Britain?"

"_Of course_," she purrs, softly stroking his cheek. "_You have done more than your share of beautiful anarchy and chaos. Your last work was truly a masterpiece worthy of my name. However, another government has become equally corrupt and requires my attention. Despite my many followers, only one truly is worthy of this opportunity_."

V frowns and slides his hands into his coat pockets. "And what if I were to refuse?"

She smiles at him, the temperature of the air dropping drastically. "_I could let you burn in Hell for all the others care, but this is simply not something you say no to. I give you a chance to continue to spread my delicious anarchy. I will even give you another pupil, should you so desire_."

"A pupil," he murmurs thoughtfully. "Please tell me of this opportunity and this person you speak so fondly of, Madam."

Her smile grows as the air rises to a comfortable temperature. She says slowly while she walks in a circle around him, looking him over, "You _are truly a genius in your own right, V. You know all the right questions to ask and who to show respect._" She stops in front of him and turns away, facing her throne. "_This world is different than yours. It is a world full of ninja and samurai. Technology is scarce and the people are no strangers to death. The governments of that world have become so corrupt that their leaders are mere figureheads_." She pauses to stare over her shoulder at him.

"Please continue," V requests.

"_The village you will start in is known as Konoha. Your apprentice will be whomever you choose, though there is an outcast among them that is a prime candidate for my work. His name is Naruto Uzumaki. He contains a demon in his gut, and instead of being revered as a hero, he is despised and harmed by those that he protects. Despite his best efforts to help, they do all but destroy him. They do not realize it, but his mind is very fragile right now. Having you influence him will be a welcome change to his life_," she says smoothly. "_Any further questions, my dear V?_"

"No, I think you have covered it sufficiently, my Lady," V replies calmly. "I accept your offer. No child should be made to suffer because of a government's inability to govern its people wisely."

She stalks over to him, eyeing him as a cat would a bowl of cream. "_I knew I could count on you, my handsome champion," she says seductively. "I will give you the abilities of Chaos, and you will train Naruto Uzumaki in all of your ways." She touches his left cheek and kisses him firmly on the lips. The kiss lasts for several minutes. Time stands still until she finally breaks the kiss and whispers in his ear, "If you disappoint me or bring shame to my reputation, I will make sure you burn in the darkest depths of Hell_."

"Understood, Madam," V says pleasantly, unphased by her threat. "When do I begin?"

She grins, "_Now!_" The darkness swirls around him into dark colors of green and white. "_Don't forget your purpose_," her voice murmurs from around him. "_Or you will pay the price for failure_." Her voice fades into nothingness as his vision stops spinning.

He blinks several times and looks around the dimly lit street. Nightfall has already set in. Grunts and crying comes from a nearby alley. He checks his attire and finds it to be complete, down to the mask and knives. V strolls over to the alley to find several drunks beating on a little blonde boy. "Why do you attack one so helpless?" he inquires politely.

"Why?" a drunk roars. "Because he's a demon! That's why!"

V chuckles, "A demon? Has he done anything to prove that he is a demon, sir?"

"No…but he will!" shouts the drunk. His buddies agree loudly.

V reaches into his cloak, "I am sure he will at this rate. But, he is destined to walk down a different path. Gentlemen, give my regards to Madam and, undoubtedly her father, Satan." The drunks stare at him dumbly, unable to comprehend his speech. He charges into the alley with his dark cloak flapping behind him. His smooth gloved hands grab onto two daggers and throw them into the throats of the abusive men, splattering blood onto the alleyway walls. He spins under a drunken punch and shoves another blade into the last man's forehead. The little boy remains where he is on the ground, shaking in fear and covered in hot blood.

"Come, little one. I will take care of you from now on," he says soothingly. The little boy looks around at the bodies.

He exclaims, "You killed them!"

"I did," V replies. "I think taking you home would be a good idea." He takes the boy's hand and walks down the empty streets after collecting his knives and cleaning them with a long handkerchief.

"Do you have a name, boy?" inquires V politely.

The boy sniffs and wipes away the tears in his eyes, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"I am V," the man answers cheerfully. "What do you desire more than anything else, Naruto?"

The boy thinks about it and says, "I want to be the strongest ninja there is!"

"And why is that?" V continues.

Naruto responds quickly, "Because then nobody can hurt me and they'll see me as a person!"

V shakes his head slowly, "You will be recognized as a person, young Uzumaki. But first, I will help you. What are your plans for this week?"

"I start going to the ninja academy tomorrow," Naruto mumbles.

V says calmly, "Then I will teach at that academy and make sure you are safe."

"You're a teacher?" gapes Naruto.

"Sometimes," V admits. "However, you may find my lessons a bit hard to understand at first. Give them some time."

The blonde boy shrugs, "Okay!"

"Good, now lead me to where you live," he requests. "I will take care of you from now on."

Naruto starts leading him and says after a few minutes, "Are you going to be my dad?"

V tilts his head as he thinks about it and comes to a conclusion. "Yes, I will be your father. You will learn everything I know, and more. That I promise you." Naruto and V arrive at the apartment. V clears off Naruto's cluttered bed and helps him into it. After securing the door and windows, Naruto's new father leans against the doorpost, falling asleep standing up.

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	2. Chapter 2

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the movie V for Vendetta or any related characters.

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Groaning, Naruto rolls over in bed and looks around. He mutters to himself, "I had the strangest dream." He rubs his sore, yet healed ribs and goes to the kitchen to make a cup of ramen. He enters the kitchen and sees a tall man standing there cooking eggs.

"How do you like your eggs, Naruto?" V inquires without looking at him.

"Um…." Naruto says quietly, a bit confused.

V smiles under his mask and flips the eggs. "Scrambled it is then. Are you ready for the academy today?"

"Yeah," Naruto mumbles as he sits at the table. "I guess that wasn't a dream." V serves his scrambled eggs a minute later with several strips of bacon. "Where did you get all this food?" Naruto inquires.

V chuckles quietly, "Here and there. Why did you only have ramen in your refrigerator and cupboards?"

Naruto shrugs and takes a big bite of the eggs. He sighs contentedly and says with his mouth full, "Beeple hate be!"

"Do not speak to me unless your mouth is empty," orders V solemnly. "I will not abide poor manners."

Naruto apologizes after he swallows and says, "People hate me, but I didn't do anything! They chase me out of stores and beat up anyone who's nice to me."

V strokes his chin thoughtfully and nods, "Very well. Finish up your eggs and bacon and head off to school. Another thing: you will wear the clothes that are laid out on the counter for you. Those orange atrocities that line your small closet are not fitting for my son to be seen in. I will meet you at school." He lifts his long cloak from the newly installed hook next to the door and slides it on while stepping out of the door.

The landlord stares at the stranger, "Hey! Did you finally kill the demon brat, stranger?" V glances at him indifferently and walks past him.

A moment later, the landlord falls to the floor with a huge gash across his throat. As V strolls out of the building, he whispers, "Referring to my son as a Demon Brat is unacceptable."

**At the Academy: **

V quietly steps into the academy and looks around. He notices a silver haired young man walking down the hall. He smirks and thinks to himself, 'Perfect.' V follows him and when nobody is around, he stabs the young man through the spinal cord and decapitates him with a single swipe. The body starts to fall to the ground but V grabs him by the collar and holds him up. Slowly and carefully, the reborn killer gouges out the man's eyes, slices off the man's ears, removes each finger and toe, then slashes the corpse repeatedly across the face until it looks like it has gone through a meat grinder. V wipes off his knives and tosses the body out the window into a large bush. He pulls a small bag from his cloak in which he places each body part that he removed. After placing the bag back into his coat, He takes the body's headband and ties it around his forehead. He removes his mask and slips it into his cloak.

The arbiter of Chaos walks down the hall towards the source of voices and stands in the doorway of the classroom. Iruka looks up at him, "Oh, you must be my new assistant, Mizuki!"

"Yes, sir," V replies smoothly. "And you are?"

Iruka moves to greet him and shakes his hand, "I'm Iruka. I haven't been an instructor here for very many years and it's nice to finally have some help around here." V shakes his hand calmly and hangs his cloak and hat on the coat hooks near the doorway under Mizuki's place. Naruto runs into the room dressed in black pants and a black t-shirt with blue outlines along the sides and sleeves.

"I'm here!" Naruto shouts with a big stupid grin on his face.

Iruka nods and picks up a stack of papers, "Have a seat, please. Class is about to begin." Naruto hurries into the nearest empty seat, sitting between Kiba and Shikamaru in the back. He notices his new father's cloak on the coat rack under Mizuki's name and smirks knowingly. V looks over the class slowly, analyzing and silently evaluating each of Naruto's classmates. Iruka begins the class with introducing himself and his new assistant.

**After Class:**

The students file out of class and Iruka turns to his assistant. "Thanks for your help today, Mizuki. You've been a big help."

"Anytime, Iruka," he says politely before taking his leave of the academy. He steps out into the street as he places his mask back over his face. Naruto is running around his apartment cheering happily. V arrives and closes the door behind him. "Is there something wrong, son?"

Naruto cheers, "School went good and nobody hates me!"

"And you shall be a great ninja," V states. "Clean up the apartment and I will make dinner for us. We have a long way to go before you are a decent assassin."

"Assassin?" inquires Naruto, scratching his head.

V smiles under his mask and explains, "Ninja is a glorified term for paid assassin."

Naruto frowns, "But ninja protect those that are precious to them!"

V laughs and shakes his head, "No, my dear boy, if you want to protect others, make sure that your enemies aren't alive to harm them."

"I'm still going to be the strongest ninja there ever lived," Naruto states stubbornly. V shrugs and walks to the kitchen to make dinner.

**At the Academy: **

Hokage Sarutobi watches with distaste while the Anbu slowly pull a body from the bush. If Konohamaru hadn't been playing hide and go seek, they probably never would have found him before nature took care of him. "Who could have done this in our village?" Sarutobi says quietly to the remaining Anbu around him. "It was done execution style, nothing flashy and no jutsu. Does anyone come to mind?" The Anbu shake their heads.

Iruka stands beside the Hokage and asks, "Who was this man?"

"I believe he was one of Orochimaru's henchmen. We found a curse mark on his arm. I am simply curious as to who executed him and why we did not know about it," frowns the Hokage.

Iruka inquires, "Do we even have a name?"

"No," Sarutobi states solemnly. "The attacker sliced open his face beyond recognition and removed any body part which could be used to identify him."

Iruka sighs, "I'll keep a close eye out for any strangers who could have done this." Sarutobi nods and Iruka slowly walks away. He mutters under his breath, "I'm glad Mizuki is finally here to help me out. With a killer on the loose, I need the extra help keeping track of the children."

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	3. Chapter 3

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Disclaimer: I own nothing

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**Graduation Day at the End of the Year: **

Naruto wakes up and finds his father making breakfast for him. V says through his mask, "The exam is today. You will not fail."

Naruto sits at the table and sighs, "But, dad! I can't do the clone!"

"Do the shadow clone jutsu," V responds solemnly.

Naruto frowns, "Okay, dad. Where did you ever find all those jutsu for me to learn anyways? You told me that I'd find out today!"

V thinks back to the trail of bodies he left when he had stolen the Forbidden scroll, copied it, and returned it from the Hokage tower near the beginning of the school year. "After you graduate, you will find out. Think of it as your reward. Now, finish eating and get ready for school, son."

Naruto finishes his breakfast of eggs and bacon with a cup of ramen on the side and rushes into his room to change into his black clothes with orange outlines on them. He slides on his long dark cloak and slides several home made knives into them forged by V. The blonde boy takes a deep breath to calm himself and leaves the building. Once again, he silently thanks Kami that the landlord that used to be so cruel to him was not around anymore. When he had first found out what had happened, he was surprised, but he grew to understand that the life of the ninja is all about killing.

Naruto slid the mask up from around his neck onto his face. The white mask has a thin smile painted on it and a thin mustache. The symbol for chaos is stamped on the mask's forehead. He covers his blonde hair with a dark hood and strolls down the street. A pair of throwing knives are strapped to the insides of his sleeves for easy access should the need to use them arise. V joins him on the street in a nearly identical outfit, only with a pure black cloak and clothes and his original mask. People give them a wide berth, having witnessed what has happened over the past year to anyone who tried to make trouble for the mysterious duo. They feel Anbu watching them but remain calm.

They reach the school and stroll past the gathering academy students silently. Naruto pulls his mask down into his shirt and lets his hood drop back to reveal his hair as he enters the classroom. V slips his mask into his cloak in the hallway and hangs his cloak in its usual spot. Girls sigh when they see Naruto but keep their distance. Everything about Naruto from his well-toned muscles to his attire screams: Dangerous! The only thing resembling the lonely prankster that they knew a year ago is the pranks that continue to plague the classroom. Iruka, despite all his searching and observing, never seems to be able to find enough evidence to pin it on Naruto.

Iruka waves to his assistant and best friend when V enters the room. "Good day, Iruka," V says amiably.

"Good morning, Mizuki," he replies cheerfully. "After today, we are done for the year! I look forward to the summer break. Maybe the Hokage will send Chunin like us on a few missions outside of the village for a change!"

"Perhaps," acknowledges V politely. He dons his black Chunin vest and gets ready for school. He notices a row of buckets against the front wall of the classroom and raises an eyebrow inquisitively. A few minutes later, Iruka opens his desk and barely dodges a spring-loaded water seal. The splash of water misses him and lands in one of the buckets behind him. He pushes the seal aside unphased and without another thought pulls out the graduation exams. V thinks smugly, '_Good. It seems he has finally given up on even trying figuring out who pulls the pranks. Naruto has done well in avoiding attention, as a proper assassin should. At least this time he was prepared._'

Iruka hands the papers to V who hands them out. He places one on each desk while Iruka tells the class the rules for the exam and that they consist of a short written exam, performing the clone and transformation jutsu, target practice with ninja tools of their choice, and a short round of taijutsu. V places the paper on Naruto's desk and pauses just long enough for him and his son's eyes to meet. Naruto nods and pulls out a small notepad. He flips to a page titled: _Things to do today._ He adds "No Pranks during the tests unless the person deserves it." He places the notepad away and starts the written test. He finishes it within five minutes while the rest of the academy students take around half an hour. Sasuke Uchiha finishes at the same time as Naruto and the two exchange glares.

V collects the papers when the time is up and smiles slightly when he glances over Naruto's paper. Every answer is correct. _'That's my boy,_' he thinks proudly. He hands the papers to Iruka for grading later. Iruka calls each student to the front of the classroom to perform the clone jutsu going in alphabetical order. Most of the students do a clone and transformation jutsu without trouble while others perform pathetically and fail. Naruto is called to the front of the room. V gives him a barely perceptible nod. The blonde returns the nod quickly and does a strange hand sign where he puts his hands into a cross shape. "Shadow Clone Jutsu and Iruka Transformation," he says in one breath. A solid clone of Iruka appears next to him and begins teaching a lesson on chakra, which he purposely mispronounces as Catra, before Iruka has him dispel it.

"Perfect jutsu, Naruto!" Iruka exclaims with a smile. "Very good job. How did you learn the shadow clone jutsu? That's a Jonin level technique!"

Naruto shrugs and lies, "I couldn't figure out how to do the clone jutsu, so I put more chakra into it and altered the hand sign until it felt right." Iruka looks impressed and calls up the next person and Naruto takes his seat with the hint of a smile on his face. The blonde passes the remaining tests with ease. He and Sasuke tie for Top of the Class. As the students are dismissed to go home, Iruka pulls V aside.

"Hey, Mizuki, have you heard from Teacher Rein recently?" he inquires quietly.

V shakes his head and smiles politely, "No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

Iruka frowns and shrugs, "It's strange. Teachers have been disappearing throughout the year. Every time they disappear, evidence shows up of their altering school records to purposely fail Naruto. Do you think Naruto could be doing it?"

"He is kept under the constant watch of the Anbu, right?" V asks. Iruka nods. "How could an academy student take out teachers, let alone with the Anbu looking over his shoulder all the time?"

Iruka sighs and smiles again, "Thanks, Mizuki. It was just a crazy thought. I don't know what brought it to mind."

V nods, "It's no problem, Iruka. I will see you later." He thinks, '_I'd better be more careful. Thankfully, he's no longer under suspicion, for now. It would be a shame to have to kill such a kind-hearted man._' They part ways and he slips into the streets with his mask on. Naruto meets him at the house and they have home baked cake to celebrate his graduation.

**The Next Day: **

Iruka stands in front of the class and announces cheerfully, "Today, you all will be assigned to your Genin teams! Listen up!" He reads off the names of the first several teams and their Jonin sensei show up and take them away. He calls, "Team Seven will be Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru." He mutters under his breath, "I thought Lord Hokage was going to redo the famous trio, but I guess not." Louder, he continues, "Team Seven's Sensei will be…V? He must be a new Jonin…well, wait for him to arrive. The next team will be Team Eight will be Sasuke, Shino, and Kiba with the Sensei being Asuma." He goes through the next one and says, "Team Ten will be Hinata, Ino, and Choji with Kurenai as their Sensei." He continues with the rest of the teams and their sensei. He leaves the room to fill out the paperwork for each student that passed.

V slips out with Iruka and exits the building while the students and their sensei meet and go their separate paths. V notices a young, glasses wearing silver haired Jonin stalking through the alleyways. He smiles and puts on his mask. He follows the Jonin silently, emitting no chakra at all as he tracks him.

Kabuto thinks to himself, '_That Jonin was easier to dispose of than I thought he would be, but I still have to get to that meeting in time to gather the information for Lord Orochimaru!_' He hears the dirt move behind him and turns just in time to feel the cold steel of V's blades flying through his throat and head, pinning both to the alley wall. V slips off Kabuto's stolen Jonin vest, adjusts the size, and slides it on himself. He removes his blades from the 'Jonin's' head and throat and smoothly decapitates him with one swipe. With that done, he injects a quickly working acid into the open wounds. The poison spreads throughout the body in under a minute, causing Kabuto's remains to wither and have his skin peel off. He pulls a blanket from a nearby trash bin and tosses it over the body. He moves the trashcan aside and pins the head to the wall with one of his blades. He moves the trash can in front of it to hide the head. V returns to the academy, a mustache forming under his mask. He gives a quick thanks to his master for the shape shifting ability. V enters the academy and finds his students waiting for him in their classroom.

"Meet me on the roof," he states calmly. "I am V." Naruto stifles a grin and immediately heads for the rooftop while Sakura whines loudly about not being on Sasuke's team. Shikamaru grumbles about the pink-haired banshee (I mean Fangirl) being troublesome and reluctantly follows Naruto.

Sakura whines at Naruto, "Why am I on your team instead of Sasuke's team? Just because you look cool and are kinda cute doesn't mean that you are better than Sasuke!"

Naruto stops and before she can blink, he appears in front of her with two blades on her throat, barely drawing blood. He says calmly and quietly, "I don't give a rip about what you think about the Uchiha or what you think of me. However, if you make another peep about how he is better than me, than I will end your pathetic little fangirl dream by showing you the core of what ninja are all about. Death." He sheathes his knives up his sleeves and walks away as if nothing happened.

Shikamaru watches the whole thing and whispers to himself, "Way too troublesome for my tastes! I hate egomaniacs with pointy objects!" He thinks about the renowned weapons specialist that graduated last year and shivers at the memory of what happened when he insulted her talents. It was the first and last insult he ever gave her due to his uncanny sense of self preservation…and going to the hospital with more puncture wounds then the doctors could count.

They reach the roof and find V and Naruto wearing near identical outfits, minus the usual masks. "Why do you two look so alike?" Sakura inquires much quieter than she was speaking earlier.

"This is my son," V states. "I am V, your sensei. You will follow my rules or you will die by my rules. Rule one: Never abandon or betray your comrades. Rule two: Trust me and your teammates no matter what. Rule three: Never draw attention to yourself. If you disobey any of those three rules, you will die. I will not kill you, but the enemy ninja will should you ever break those rules."

Shikamaru frowns, "Nice rules, but Naruto's an orphan. How can you be his father?"

"Easily. You are the lazy genius. I will find motivation for you," he says with a sadistic grin that would have made the Nara boy shiver if he could see through the mask. He turns to Sakura with a small amount of killer intent, "You are the weak fangirl. You will learn the rules and become the most skilled woman in the field of Shinobi."

After a long pause, Sakura asks hesitantly, "What is Naruto?"

The instructor nods to Naruto who says, "I am Naruto Vendetta Uzumaki. I am the strongest, most chaotic ninja you will ever meet and I will not allow myself to die until every corrupt government or institution is ripped down and replaced with true justice."

"No matter what laws you have to break to do it?" Shikamaru asks with deceptive laziness in his voice.

Naruto replies firmly, "No matter what laws I have to break or people I have to kill."

"As it should be," V says pleasantly. "Ninja are nothing more than assassins who specialize in stealth and elemental attacks. I will not teach you elemental attacks. Under my tutelage, you will learn the mere basics of the practical uses for chakra and how to become the ultimate assassin without relying on flashy tricks or special moves. Do you understand?"

Shikamaru nods and glances at Sakura who nods slowly. The Nara says, "Do you have something against jutsu?"

"No," V replies, leaning against the guardrail. "Chakra gives away your position and elemental jutsu leave a clear sign that you were there. Your families and friends can teach you what jutsu you want to learn, or you can find private instructors on your own time. With me, you will learn how to kill the most efficiently and silently. That is all for today. Come tomorrow at 6am and I will give you the Genin test at Training Ground 4. Do not be late."

Sakura's eyes go wide. "6 o'clock in the morning?! Are you insane? We already passed the Genin exams!"

V says coldly, "You passed the exams that claim that you are smart enough to get out of the academy. My job as your instructor is either to make sure you are worthy of being a full fledged Genin or whether or not you need another year in the academy. Bye for now." Shikamaru and Sakura leave to get a good night's sleep. Naruto stares at V for several minutes silently. "Yes, son?" V inquires.

Naruto slides his mask onto his face and says calmly, "You were rough with them."

"They need to face reality or they will get killed," V replies.

The blonde states, "Will they make worthy allies for our cause? Konoha must fall before we can move on to other corruption world wide. Also, you never told me where you got the jutsus."

"If they do not, then they shall die," V says matter-of-factly. "I stole the forbidden scroll, copied down the jutsu, and returned it while killing anyone who tried to stop me." Naruto smiles slightly at hearing of his father's exploit. V continues, "You may go to the training grounds and practice your fighting techniques. Make sure you have them down and remember to always keep your opponent guessing, even if that opponent is yourself."

"As you wish, father," Naruto answers with a nod. He walks down the academy wall without a problem and strolls into the streets towards the usual training ground in the forest. V goes to the alley, retrieves the damaged head, places it in a small cardboard box that he finds lying nearby, and reenters the building. He places a falsified order on Iruka's desk to show the transfer of Mizuki to another position. He leaves the academy and strolls through the town to the Hokage tower. He hands the small box to the guards at the Hokage tower's entrance.

V says amiably, "Please give this to the Hokage, if you would be so kind." He walks away before they can answer him. They examine the box with trap-scanning jutsu and find nothing wrong with it. The guards transfer the box to the Hokage office through the secretary. She places the box on the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi opens it to find the deformed head of Kabuto and the group pairings.

Sarutobi frowns, "I didn't make these the original group pairings!" He stands to call to his secretary when he gets an idea. The Hokage sits back down and places his stamp of approval on the paper. He smiles with a strong sense of satisfaction, "The pairings are pretty good. I'll leave them as they are, if for no other reason, to see the Council get riled up because they have no control over the ninja. It would be a shame for such a good forgery go to waste! The person seems to have a better sense of humor than I do and some common sense to go with it. These teams should be quite entertaining to watch as they get stronger. The council is going to be so furious!" He laughs quietly. Sarutobi glances around the room before looking out the window onto the street. When he is convinced that nobody is around, he pulls out his student's newest literary work, despite his publicly shown disdain for such material and begins reading it. The secretary sighs and tries to ignore the perverted giggles coming out of the Hokage's office.

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	4. Chapter 4

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Disclaimer: See previous disclaimers.

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**Early the Next Day: **

Shikamaru yawns tiredly and leans against the tree while he waits for the rest of his teammates to get to the training ground. He hears a voice from above say, "I think I know what you can specialize in other than your family's shadows that will use your intellect and a fairly good amount of laziness. In fact, it would be quite useful in any particular field that you desire to go into."

"What do you have in mind, sensei?" Shikamaru asks while closing his eyes to enjoy the cool shade. "It's early still and it's such a drag to be called out here without even being given a mission."

"Do you fear anything, Shikamaru Nara?" V inquires from a high tree branch.

Shikamaru frowns and asks with curiosity tainting his voice, "Of course. Who doesn't?"

"I can make you fearless. Would you like that?"

"What's the catch," Shikamaru frowns darker. "There has to be a catch to something like that."

V smiles under his mask. "Not at all, my good fellow. You just have to be able to abide by my methods. Do you wish to be unafraid of anything? Fear can get your teammates killed if you freeze up in battle. Think about it." Shikamaru opens his eyes and notices that his sensei is gone once more.

"Troublesome," he mumbles. The pineapple-haired Nara sits up and presses his fingers together. His mind focuses and switches into "Thinking Mode".

**On the Way to the Training Ground: **

Sakura strolls down the road and glances at her watch. "I'm going to be late at this rate!" she whines. "Why did sensei have to schedule our meeting so early! He seemed like a stickler for punctuality!" She notices an alley that never caught her eye before. "Well…" she murmurs to herself. "This would be a short cut…" She thinks for a few seconds before walking into the dark alleyway.

She hears something move behind her. The pink haired kunoichi glances behind her to see nothing. Sighing with relief, she turns around again and sees a tall dark haired man covered in a cloak as black as the night. A nearly sadistic grin is painted on his white mask. His hat's brim tilts down to cast a darker shadow over his mask. "Do you fear me, Sakura Haruno?"

"N-no!" Sakura stammers nervously. Her hand wanders around her belt while she searches for her weapons pouch. "I'm not scared of you!"

A dark chuckle escapes the lips of the stranger. "I think you are," the masked man mocks with a flourish of his cape. "I believe you are ready to relieve yourself out of fear for what I am going to do to you." She closes her eyes to blink and opens them again to find herself looking down the wrong end of a sword. The sword's tip pokes her nose lightly enough to barely draw blood. She falls back onto her butt and scoots away quickly.

"Stay back!" she screams, tossing a shuriken at him wildly.

The man stalks forward, dodging the ninja tool with ease. "You are going to get you and everyone you care about killed!" he bites out menacingly. "You are useless!" He pulls his sword back for a strike. She closes her eyes and braces herself for the blow. After a few seconds, the blow never comes. Sakura slowly opens her eyes and sees the empty alley in front of her. Shivering, she stumbles to her feet and takes off running towards the training ground as fast as her little legs can carry her. She hears a voice on the wind whisper, "I will make you useful…or dead."

**Back at the Training Ground: **

The blonde-haired Genin plops down beside Shikamaru quietly. After a few minutes, Shikamaru inquires, "What do you think of Sensei? Would he joke about anything?"

"Of course not!" Naruto exclaims, looking over at the Nara in surprise. "If he says something, he means it. Why do you ask?"

Shikamaru nods slowly, holding his hands tighter together in their thinking position. "I see. It'd be troublesome to try to explain it to you." He leans back against the tree again and closes his eyes. Naruto shrugs and starts doing pushups. "What are you doing, Naruto?"

"I'm getting warmed up. We're going to have to work hard to survive whatever test dad has for us." Naruto answers between pushups.

Shikamaru looks over at his teammate with concern in his eyes. "Would he kill us if he thought we would be bad shinobi?"

"Yep," Naruto answers without hesitation while he continues his pushups. "That's why I'm warming up."

"Guys!" a voice yells to them. The others look up to see their pink haired teammate running towards them.

"What's up, Sakura?" Naruto inquires, resuming his pushups. He grunts, "Thirty eight…"

Sakura stammers, "Someone tried to attack me!"

"Who?" Shikamaru stares at her intently.

"I-I don't know! One minute he was there, the next minute he was gone!" she says hurriedly.

Naruto grunts while finishing a pushup, "Fifty." He stands up with sweat barely gracing his forehead. "Don't worry, Sakura. We're here to protect you!" He grins and scratches the back of his head.

Sakura sighs and mutters, "That's Naruto for you." She sits down and waits for her teacher.

Five minutes pass during which time Shikamaru falls asleep and Sakura watches Naruto doing various exercises from jumping jacks to pushups to chin ups on nearby the lower tree branches.

Finally, the teacher strolls into the training ground. "Hello, students," V says calmly. "I am here to perform the test to see if you are worthy of being an assassin of the Hidden Leaf Village." He holds up two bells. "You will have to get these bells. You can work separately or alone. The person who does not get these bells will be sent back to the academy. Do you—" Suddenly a man appears behind V and grabs onto his hair. The man reaches around with a katana in hand and smoothly slits his throat. The assassin wears a pure white mask in the style of the Anbu.

Naruto grabs two kunai from his weapons pouch and growls, "You killed my father!" He rushes forward, throwing a kunai. He leaps at the man who smoothly slices the boy in half. Naruto gasps in pain before turning into a puff of smoke. Three Narutos jump from the tree and are smoothly decapitated and impaled by the swordsman. The last Naruto doesn't disappear. He coughs up blood and falls to the ground with the sword in his chest. The stranger places his foot on Naruto's neck and yanks out the blade.

Sakura screams and turns to run from help when the man appears behind her and chops her on the neck. She collapses to the hard earth below her unconscious. He slowly turns, his black cloak whirling around him.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu success!" Shikamaru states coldly. The boy stands in the shade of the tree with his hands in the seal position.

For once, the attacker speaks. "Do you think this will stop me, boy? Your technique is barely holding me as it is. Your chakra level is pitiful."

"It'll have to do," Shikamaru grunts when the man tries to move. The Nara boy slowly brings his hand up, causing the man's hand to hold the sword pointing directly at his own chest. "The Anbu can figure out your origins from your remains." He pushes his own hand directly to his chest. The movement forces the stranger's sword deep into the chest and out the other side. The stranger staggers when Shikamaru's shadow retreats and vanishes in a cloud of smoke. "A clone?" Shikamaru manages to mutter before falling into the land of dreams with a sharp pain to his neck.

**Unknown Amount of Time Later: **

Shikamaru jerks awake to find himself chained to a wall by both hands and feet. He quickly tries to pull his hands together to make a hand sign but immediately discovers that the chains are too far apart. He looks down to see himself in a plain gray tunic that barely covers his ankles. "This is troublesome," he mumbles. He calms himself and notices that there are small seals on his shackles that he immediately recognizes from his textbook of shinobi gear. "Great, chakra-restraints."

The bleak metal cell around him is completely devoid of windows or beds. Below him is a small stool that requires him to keep his hands up in order to sit down.

A small peep hole opens in the great steel door in front of him. "I assume you are comfortable," the voice rumbles harshly. "Well, baby ninja, I'm going to find out everything there is to know about your little village. Your teammates are dead. I executed them myself. If you tell me what I want to know, I will make you unconscious and release you. If not, I will kill you. What do you decide?"

"I'm not going to betray my village," Shikamaru states firmly.

The voice sneers, "Very well." His chains light up with electricity and he falls to his knees screaming in pain. After two minutes, the chains died down to their normal gray color and Shikamaru sags against his shackles. "We will do this until you have decided to tell us about your village. Anything to say?"

Shikamaru glared at his captor through the peephole and snapped, "I will never betray my village."

"Your team is dead. You have nobody left to be loyal to," the voice snaps. "Why not tell us what we want to know?"

Shikamaru gasps, another electrical shock making his muscles spasm, "Shinobi don't talk."

"We'll see about that," the voice coos sadistically. The peephole slams shut and the room goes dark. Suddenly, a bright light shines from the wall directly into Shikamaru's eyes. Shikamaru squints his eyes for a moment before screaming out in pain again and falling to his knees, electricity coursing through his body once more.

**Elsewhere: **

Her eyes slowly drift open. Consciousness returns to her and she raises her head up. "Where am I?" the person whispers. She hears a metal grate slowly grind open. Her eyes focus and she spots a dark figure towering over her. A bright light shines in her eyes.

"Hello, Miss Sakura Haruno. Your team is dead. Your sensei is dead. Tell me everything about your village and you will be released," the voice says calmly. "If you refuse, I will torture you and then I will kill you. What do you choose?" She blinks her eyes several times, trying to see the face of her captor. She coughs and holds her face when a strong boot connects with her cheek.

She whimpers, "Why are you doing this?" She feels herself being lifted up by her long hair and slammed against a wall.

The voice grunts, "I want information and I will get it out of you by any means necessary. Make no mistake, I will not hesitate to kill you, little kunoichi."

"I don't know anything!" she cries out with tears trailing over her bruised cheeks.

The voice grows harsher and the grip on her hair tightens. "You know were people live, where your village's next generation of shinobi are being taught, any ninja families that you have met and what their abilities are. You know a lot, little girl, and I will find out _everything_ that you know. Start talking!"

"I can't," she cries loudly. The person slaps her cheek hard, knocking her to the ground.

"You refuse to cooperate," she hears another person hiss. "You don't cooperate and you loose something. Starting with this!" The person grabs onto her long hair and slices it with a knife.

She wails, "You cut my hair!"

"You're going to die at this rate," the voice smirks. "I'll leave now to give you time to think. I suggest you think of something before I get back." The door slams shut and Sakura curls up into a ball on the bare concrete floor, holding what remains of her severed pink hair.

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Read and Review! I hope you enjoyed it so far. Thanks everyone for their reviews/messages so far! they've been helpful and encouraging.

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